What Does Michelle Obama Love Most About Not Being In the White House? Her New Life Explained In ‘Becoming’

After eight grueling years in the spotlight as the First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama has been enjoying her new found freedom. The Harvard Law graduate has been keeping a pretty low-profile since she and her husband, former President Barack Obama, left the White House in January 2017. Now, the Princeton alum and mother-of-two is ready to step back in the public eye. Mrs. Obama has just released her astounding new memoir, Becoming. The best-seller chronicles her life from her childhood years on the South Side of Chicago as Michelle LaVaughn Robinson through the White House years and into the present day.

Since leaving the White House, Mrs. Obama has been living her best life. She and her family embarked on a whirlwind vacation, she’s been seen at Beyoncé concerts with her daughters Malia and Sasha, and she’s currently on a thrilling tour promoting Becoming. But what does Michelle Obama love most about being out of the White House?

Time for self-care

With an exhausting schedule and being constantly under the scrutiny of the public, there was little time for self-care and reflection when Mrs. Obama was the first lady. Now, she has time for herself, especially since her daughters have left her with an empty nest. In Becoming she explained, “Here I am, in this new place, with a lot I want to say.” She revealed, that though Malia is in college at Harvard University and Sasha is headed out of the door in less than a year, she doesn’t feel sad or devastated that they’re doing things on their own.

She explained to People, “I also have the resources that if I really get sad, I’ll go see them. Unlike my parents, who dropped me off at college and just had a phone call, I text with my kids. I can text [Malia] right this second and know exactly what she’s thinking. I don’t feel like she’s away, I feel like she’s off on her next adventure, so I’m excited about her. I don’t need my children to make me happy. I had them so that they’d happy,”

Focusing on her marriage

Though the Obamas have always put their magical romance on display and its been clear since the early days of their first campaign that they love one another, the presidency took its toll on their relationship. They recently took a trip to Palm Springs and Mrs. Obama explained it was “the first time in a long time it was just the two of us.” The former first lady has also been open about the fact that her marriage isn’t perfect, and that she and her husband have had counseling when they needed it.

She told Good Morning America, “I know too many young couples who struggle and think that somehow there’s something wrong with them. And I want them to know that Michelle and Barack Obama, who have a phenomenal marriage and who love each other, we work on our marriage. And we get help with our marriage when we need it.”

The one thing she’s enjoyed most.

Sharing your spouse with the world is certainly tricky. With the White House in their rearview, and their girls gone off to college, Michelle and Barack Obama are relearning each other.

She explained, “We are finding each other again. We have dinners alone and chunks of time where it’s just us — what we were when we started this thing: no kids, no publicity, no nothing. Just us and our dreams.”